Is this the year someone knocks off C-G?
The needle is once again stuck on the broken record in terms of the outlook in the Fox Valley Conference Valley Division this season.
The strong consensus among many area coaches and observers is that Cary-Grove is the preseason favorite to win its fifth straight conference or division title.
The Trojans, under the direction of veteran coach Bruce Kay (20th year; 135 wins), have a talented, but inexperienced roster with only four returners on defense and eight returning position players overall on both sides of the ball.
Junior fullback Eric Chandler (980 yards, 5.0 yards per carry) and Alex Hembrey (moving from the secondary to running back) give the Trojans a great thunder and lightning pairing out of the triple-option offense. Senior Jonas Mack rounds out the backfield, while junior Tyler Krebs takes over the signal-calling duties for Cary-Grove, which has won 28 straight FVC games dating back to 2003 (Woodstock was the last team to beat the Trojans in Week 8 of the 2008 season; Cary-Grove 44-5 since 2004).
"I think we really look at it one game at a time and one practice at a time," said Kay, whose teams have advanced to the state second-round, quarterfinals (twice) and state title game in the last 4 years. "Do you get better? Whether you win or lose a game, the goal is still the same next week - to get better. I think (the streak) is the furthest thing from their minds. We keep them busy enough that it shouldn't be a big deal."
Kay isn't overly concerned about his team's lack of experience.
"We expect them to execute what they're capable of executing," said Kay. "Oftentimes, an athlete's lack of execution is technique (and) footwork. Every kid should know where to go on certain plays and they should be able to recognize the technique that's used. If we happen to be good enough, we'll win the games. Those are the things we can control-knowing where to go and how to get there. After that, you have to be able to play."
Crystal Lake South returns 5 starters on offense and 3 on defense. Junior tailback Colin Masterson and senior fullback Derek Mortensen are both back. Sophomore Drew Ormseth takes over the signal-calling duties in a run-dominated offense. Overcoming inexperience on defense will also be a key for coach Jim Stuglis' crew.
"I think the Valley side is going to be very, very balanced," said Stuglis, whose program has made 7 straight playoff appearances (57-22 since 2001). "I think everyone is going to be solid. Obviously, Cary's number-one. I think we're all going to be very competitive. Then if somebody can knock off Cary-Grove, who knows? Let's hope it's us. They've got it going right now."
Jacobs graduated its entire starting backfield and has four returners on offense and two on defense. Veteran coach Dean Schlueter reported competition occurring at every position during the preseason.
"We have five other good teams to play (in the division) and we think all of them are going to be pretty solid," said Schlueter, who has directed Jacobs teams to 4 playoff berths in his first 11 years in Algonquin.
Dundee-Crown returns a number of key performers including quarterback Logan Kissack, Justin Strzelczyk (WR), Brendan Schumacher (TE), Tommy Newman (FB) and Ian Salvatini (RB). Newman and Salvatini are both third-year players. Offensive line play (where only Victor Domich saw any kind of time last year) will be key for the Chargers, who are in search of their first winning season since 1994.
McHenry, under the direction of coach Tim Beagle, has been mentioned by many as a team on the rise in the division. The Warriors are in search of their 21st straight playoff appearance and went 6-4 in each of Beagle's first two seasons.
Woodstock returns five starters on both sides of the ball. All-conference quarterback Derek Brown is in his third-year as the starter. Senior running back Kyle Sahs (5-10, 175) is also back as are three senior linemen.
"Our quarterback returning is an advantage for us," said sixth-year Woodstock coach Steve Beard, whose team qualified for the playoffs last season. "We've got our secondary back on defense, otherwise we're unproven."
Fox Division: Prairie Ridge is 9-1 with two division championships since the FVC split into two 6-team loops in 2006.
However, this may be the year parity starts to ring true in the Fox where a number of improved teams have their sights set on the division's crown and automatic playoff berth.
Prairie Ridge, 19-4 overall since 2006, has 4 players back on offense, including all-conference 3-year starting quarterback Bryan Bradshaw (6-3, 170) and senior backfield mates Kevin Keener (5-10, 165, FB) and Todd Budy (5-10, 174, RB).
Senior returning all-conference performers Brad Young (6-1, 210, LB) and Will Mack (6-0, 180, S) headline a defense that brings back a total of 7 starters from last year's team that reached the state quarterfinals.
"With the returners we have, I think our defense is going to be pretty strong," said Prairie Ridge coach Chris Schremp. "I'm looking for them to step up. We've got the talent and experience to do that."
Schremp feels his team has the potential to be in that division title mix once again.
"I think until someone beats us, I'd like to think we're the favorite," said Schremp. "Johnsburg is going to be tough and you have to look out for Crystal Lake Central and Huntley. We could have quite a battle on our hands."
Prairie Ridge reached the playoffs 7 times in its first 11 years of existence.
Elsewhere, Huntley (4-5 in 2007) will employ the "spread gun run" to utilize the passing game more this year.
"We believe our improvement in the passing department will pay big dividends," said Huntley coach Steve Graves, whose team is in search of the program's second-ever playoff berth.
The Red Raiders have seven returning starters on defense and return four offensive linemen, including decorated shot-putter Marcus Popenfoose (6-2, 235).
Running back Jordan Neukirch is the only returning skill position player. Neukirch ran for 656 yards and 8 touchdowns last year and averaged nearly 8 yards per carry.
Johnsburg has 9 starters back on offense and 7 on defense. The Skyhawks feature Division I-caliber players in junior 3-year starting wide receiver C.J. Fiedorowicz (6-7, 233), senior quarterback Jared Grundy (6-1, 177) and kicker-wide receiver Thomas Kinney (5-11, 148, Jr.). Kinney was 31 of 32 on extra points and 5 of 8 on field goals (41-yard long) last year. All of his field goal misses were in the second game of the season. Grundy has verbally committed to Miami (Fla.) for baseball.
Scout.com reported on its Web site that Notre Dame had verbally offered a scholarship to Fiedorowicz.
"I think we're going to be more competitive this year," said Johnsburg coach Todd Winter. "I think we'll be able to throw the ball better and run the ball better this year."
Crystal Lake Central has depth that will allow separate sets of starters on both sides of the ball. Senior quarterback Connor Buxton (6-1, 175) and senior running back Anthony Niemo (5-8, 160) headline a list of returners, that includes three starters on the offensive line.
Three-year starters Trevor Parlberg (6-1, 190, LB) and Evan Van Klei (6-4, 240, DE) are back on defense. Central's sophomore team went 9-0 last year.
"We've got some pretty good juniors coming up along with a lot of experienced seniors," said Central coach John McLaughlin. "If we play defense like we need to and our offense comes around, I think we've got a nice mix of players. I think we can be competitive."
Grayslake Central is 4-32 since its last playoff appearance. The Rams, led by 3-sport seniors Kevin O'Rourke (6-2, 180, QB), Cassidy Melton (5-9, 210, FB-LB) and Brian Valdivia (6-1, 210, OL-SS), bring an 11-game losing streak into the season.
But second-year coach Nick Goshe is optimistic about his team's improving fortunes.
"We will be a far better team than we were last year," said Goshe. "We've never done the increased kind of off-season work like we've done. We're a heck of a lot better than last year. What that translates into, I don't know because we're in a pretty good conference."
Grayslake North is 1-17 since becoming a varsity program in 2006. The Knights' lone win came against Grayslake Central last year. They return 2 all-conference players in TE Jimmy Butler and DE Lanre Johnson. Coach Steve Wood is happy with the direction of the program.
"Even last year, we were so much better than we were the year before," Wood said. "We won only one game, but we had some injuries that kind of hurt us in that category. Just overall competitiveness was much better than the year before. We're just looking to build on that."
Jerry Fitzpatrick and Joe Aguilar contributed to this report.